Meet Marcus Berkowitz, Director of Strategy & Expansion

"My mother has been financially independent since I was a toddler. A lot of what I've been able to do in my life is a result of that. I’m a good example of how supporting women can benefit society generally -- whether you’re a man or a woman, the effect trickles out.”

Marcus graduated from Pitzer College with a degree in Latin American Studies and Economics. After graduation, Marcus managed a team at a small bike shop and learned all about ‘the guts’ of a small business. The shop had taken on a lot of debt, which gave Marcus an interesting perspective on the good, the bad, and the ugly of paying off debt at a small business.

This experience enhanced Marcus’ fascination with microfinance and led him to apply for a KIVA fellowship in Latin America. Marcus landed in Chimbo, Ecuador where he worked with KIVA and the Cooperative San Jose to identify impact investment opportunities and streamline client data. After the fellowship, Marcus came to Grameen America where he used his experience to help improve impact measurement and data management tools. Now Marcus is involved in operational expansion and technology implementation.

What is Marcus’ favorite thing about working at Grameen America? Its “awesome staff” and “young, startup culture where everyone does what needs to get done.”

“It’s exciting, inspiring, and often surprising to work with people with 25+ years of experience in an industry that is so young. Learning from them is fascinating”